TORONTO –
Court documents are offering a window into what sparked the Competition Bureau’s investigation into two of Canada’s most prominent furniture retailers.
The watchdog obtained a court order last week forcing Leon’s Furniture Limited and its subsidiary The Brick Warehouse LP to hand over documents that will help determine whether the companies engaged in deceptive marketing practices.
The affidavit that helped secure that court shows the bureau began a preliminary investigation into Leon’s and The Brick in July 2023, when a team scoured websites and flyers belonging to the companies, visited their stores and consulted with provincial and federal government sources and Canadian business registries.
The team’s goal was to monitor prices and promotions of certain products, says the Oct. 31 affidavit from Paula Carr, a senior competition law officer with the bureau, filed with the …